documentation

noun

doc·​u·​men·​ta·​tion ˌdä-kyə-mən-ˈtā-shən 

-ˌmen-,

-kyü-

1

: the act or an instance of furnishing or authenticating with documents

2

a

: the provision of documents in substantiation

also : documentary evidence

b(1)

: the use of historical documents

(2)

: conformity to historical or objective facts

(3)

: the provision of footnotes, appendices, or addenda referring to or containing documentary evidence

3

: information science

4

: the usually printed instructions, comments, and information for using a particular piece or system of computer software or hardware

documentational

ˌdä-kyə-mən-ˈtā-sh(ə-)nəl 

-ˌmen-

-kyü-

adjective

Synonyms

• attestation
• confirmation
• corroboration
• evidence
• proof
• substantiation
• testament
• testimonial
• testimony
• validation
• voucher
• witness

Examples of documentation in a Sentence

You cannot visit the country unless you have the proper documentation.

Keep your receipts as documentation of your purchases.

Can you provide documentation of the claims you're making?

The program's documentation is poorly written.

Recent Examples on the Web

The company's management has identified material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting, primarily due to insufficient resources and inadequate documentation of internal control policies. —Quartz Bot, Quartz, 19 Nov. 2024

Studio walked you through your first project, but the documentation does a decent enough job of answering many questions. —Jordan Minor, PCMAG, 11 Nov. 2024

Proper documentation of training data and design decisions ensures transparency, and ethical oversight through bias audits maintains fairness. —Abhishek Shivanna, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

The documentation has been key because, despite visible signs of serious violations of existing ecological regulations, and multiple cases of cancer among residents, the movement lacked hard data and reliable, independent information sources. —Will Tizard, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

documentation

noun

doc·​u·​men·​ta·​tion ˌdäk-yə-mən-ˈtā-shən 

-ˌmen-

1

: the providing of documents as proof

2

: evidence in the form of documents

3

: written instructions for using a computer or computer program